Lucy sniffs out a plant at Bowood Farms Garden Center.

Hope Springs Eternal

This time of year I always get a hankerin’ to plant something. The urge caused me to stop at Bowood Farms Garden Center, when Cyndy and Lucy were in St. Louis recently. Picking plants is far more fun with friends to advise and encourage. And, certainly, far more fun than ordering from a garden catalog.

Our herb selections included a couple varieties of parsley and basil, a thyme plant, and a lovely bay tree. I think of them not just as plants, but my newest, little friends. Let’s hope they feel the same way about me.

“Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon ‘costs a lot to eat.'”

I fell in love with a 4′-5′ tall Meyer Lemon tree. It’s the brighter, sweeter, juicier, and more fragrant version of the variety we find in the produce section. (In the photo above, my lemon love is shown in the window on right.)

But the plants cost $210 a pot, for heaven’s sake! Hmm . . . maybe that’s not too bad considering the price of lemons these days. Even so, I decided to forgo the investment.

Coco learned to set plants in the ground, when she was quite young. Kids take to gardening because it involves dirt.

Let’s Root for Each Other

There’s an old adage that says the secret to a happy plant is having a gardener stand over it, sweetly whispering: “Grow!” Yes, everyone—plant or person—needs encouragement to grow.

Maybe I should have Lucy, the plant whisperer, give this a try. Perhaps she could say: “Jean told me to tell you to grow! Do you have any questions?”